International Kun Khmer tournament hailed a success

A three-day Kun Khmer tournament was held at the weekend in celebration of the inauguration of the Win-Win Monument and the 20th anniversary of the end of the civil war in Cambodia.

Dubbed “KHMER FIGHT”, the competition was well attended at the still under-construction Morodok Techo National Stadium.

Big-name Cambodian competitors included Chan Rothana of MMA fight club Selapak who returned to his Kun Khmer roots to defeat his Thai-based Moroccan challenger. Also featuring on Saturday was Nou Srey Pov, who was crowned WKKIF World Champion thanks to a hard-fought victory over Myanmar’s Ra Ni Ni. Yesterday, the final day of the event, culminated in an international spectacle featuring fighters from Iran, Morocco, and numerous others.

The Khmer Fight program is licensed by the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC). Featuring on TV5, the organising committee promised that if the tournament received strong support and cooperation, then it may return in 2019 in the same format. But if the competition failed to develop, and if collaboration between stakeholders was subpar, the organising committee said it would find a new partner.

The government is planning to funnel upwards of $400 million to organise the 2023 Phnom Penh SEA games and is constructing a lavish sporting complex, the Morodok Techo National Stadium, with the aid of China.

Such infrastructure – like the Morodok Techo Sports Complex – is slowly and steadily taking shape. Part of a larger sports complex under construction for the last four years in northern Phnom Penh, the new multi-million dollar stadium will play host to athletes in 2023.

The complex will accommodate 100,000 people, while the main stadium will hold about 75,000 spectators.

The Chinese government had agreed to fund Phase 2 of the complex and finance its completion. Construction began in April 2013 on a 94-hectare lot near National Road 5 in Russei Keo district on the northern outskirts of Phnom Penh.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Win-Win Monument marking the 20th anniversary of the end of the civil war in the Kingdom. Soldiers from all branches of the military, police officers and civilians gathered at the monument to mark the anniversary of the Prime Minister’s win-win policy, the move that brought Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan to the negation table in the late 1990s to end hostilities and bring peace to the Kingdom.

The Win-Win Monument has been under construction in Chroy Changva district’s Prek Tasek commune since 2016.

MIND-BLOWING visuals and lighting, a thumping sound system and the best vibes — three elements that made up the craze of last Saturday night at One Love Rooftop Bar, when CUBIK returns for another edition of ‘the best damn party in town’.